Al-Arabi hopes Brahimi will help realize aspirations of Syrian

Arab League Secretary General of the Arab League Dr. Nabil Al-Arabi said Friday he hopes that the newly-appointed UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi will be able to contribute to the realization of the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for peaceful transition to democratic system based on dignity and freedoms.  "As a veteran diplomat who enjoys long experience in Arab and international diplomacy, Brahimi can help resolve regional disputes such as the one in Syria. However, he is unlikely to succeed in his mission with concerted efforts by regional and international powers and full backing from the UN Security Council," Al-Arabi said in a press release here Friday night. He made the comments hours after UN deputy spokesman Eduardo del Buey announced that Algeria's former foreign minister and longtime UN official will replace the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as joint envoy to Syria. "Dr. Al-Arabi and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be meeting in the coming few days to discuss the success prospects of Brahimi's mission," according to the statement. They will lobby international support for the mission which aims basically to ensure peaceful political transition in Syria based on the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, and the Arab League. They will also explore how to follow on the consensus reached by the international action group on Syria during its meeting in Geneva on June 30, the statement went on. Brahimi is expected to assume his duties following the expiration of Annan's mandate on 31 August 2012,a spokesperson for the world organization has aid.